- Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
July 19, 2023
Jeremy Shinewald
Northwestern Kellogg 2023–2024 Essay Tips
Required essay 1: kellogg leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. which skills did you use what did you accomplish (450 words) .
Challenges and obstacles can be powerful learning opportunities. Kellogg wants to learn three primary things here: (1) what are some of the key skills and strengths you already possess, (2) how do you apply them and use them synergistically, and (3) how do you act (and react) in situations that do not go as planned. You of course want to convey that you are not easily discouraged by setbacks and instead use them as learning tools or stepping-stones on your path forward.
For this essay, you could discuss a one-time occurrence or an ongoing issue that you deal with regularly (and have learned to “overcome” when it arises). And because the school does not stipulate that the challenge you share be strictly professional or personal, you should consider every possible option you have from the various facets of your life—your workplace, academic background, family, personal life, community engagements, and so on. Also, the problem could be something you faced alone or as part (or leader) of a group. We recommend using a narrative approach to present your story, but in addition to clearly explaining how you approached and prevailed over the challenge at hand, ensure that you detail the inner workings of your decision making—the thought process and motivation(s) behind your actions. This way, the admissions committee will get a clear impression not only of what you accomplished but also of the abilities and aspects of your character that enabled your success. And be sure to not focus solely on one skill; the prompt specifically notes “a combination of skills,” so you will need to describe a situation in which you drew from different areas and capabilities to create synergy.
With just 450 words for this essay, you have limited space, but if you can work it in easily, consider mentioning a skill that you could gain at Kellogg that would have made your experience easier or somehow more successful. Similarly, Kellogg does not specifically ask you to explain what you learned from the experience, but if word count allows enough for you to include this element in your essay, we would encourage you to do so. This would demonstrate to the admissions committee an advanced level of self-awareness and highlight your ability to learn from obstacles, rather than be daunted by them.
One final note: do not be afraid to reveal a weakness or error on your part. Although this is not a “failure” essay, if your own actions helped create the problem or you failed to see the obstacle right before you (and should have), you should not shy away from an honest discussion of your responsibility. Such incidents are usually very effective learning opportunities and could therefore make for a compelling essay.
Required Essay 2: At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? (450 words)
At its core, this is a kind of diversity, equity, and inclusion essay, which many top schools are introducing this year (if they did not already have one). Kellogg is directly stating its belief that when people who represent a diversity of experiences, viewpoints, and capabilities work together, the results are better than those produced by teams of individuals who are more similar than different. The admissions committee is not asking you to comment on this part of the prompt specifically, though, but rather to keep it in mind when formulating your response. Your job with this essay is to convey the special attributes you possess that would be additive to the Kellogg learning environment and community by describing the situations and circumstances that have helped you develop them. Although your personal background, strengths, and abilities might overlap with those of other Kellogg applicants in some way, you can differentiate yourself here via the stories you choose to illustrate them.
A good way to start identifying your best options for this essay is by making a list of things you believe are notable about you and that would be helpful to have in an MBA environment and then pinpointing the experiences you have had that engendered these qualities. As the prompt notes, you can draw from both your career and your personal life. Look for and especially consider experiences from your past that not only allow you to discuss your strengths and standout characteristics but also involve situations in which you worked with or alongside individuals who were different from you. If you can show the admissions committee concrete evidence that you know how to collaborate and communicate effectively with diverse coworkers, clients, and/or team members, your essay will be even more powerful.
You will then need to demonstrate both self-awareness and a thorough understanding of the Kellogg MBA experience by drawing connections between (1) what you have done and who you are and (2) what you can subsequently provide at the school as a member of its community. To do this effectively, you will need to truly familiarize yourself in depth with what the Kellogg MBA experience is like. Go beyond the school’s website and published materials and connect directly with students, alumni, and other people who can provide firsthand, insider knowledge. Absolutely visit campus if at all possible, and sit in on a class. Read news articles about the school as well as student blogs, check out Kellogg’s YouTube channel , and, if offered, attend admissions events in your area. As you do all this research, look for places where your skills, strengths, and personality would not just fit but also contribute in some way. You want to make sure that in your essay, you are not merely showcasing traits, events, and achievements that you think are interesting or singular. They also need to clearly fit with Kellogg specifically.
To further familiarize yourself with the Kellogg program and get an insider’s perspective on its academic program, unique offerings, social life, and other key characteristics, be sure to download a complimentary copy of the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the Kellogg School of Management .
Reapplicants: How have you grown or changed personally and professionally since you previously applied and what steps have you taken to become the strongest candidate you can be? (250 words)
Whether you have improved your academic record, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, or taken on some sort of personal challenge, the key to success with this essay is conveying a very deliberate path of achievement. Kellogg wants to know that you have been actively striving to improve yourself and your profile, and that you have seized opportunities during the previous year to do so, because a Kellogg MBA is vital to you. The responses to this essay question will vary greatly from one candidate to the next, because each person’s needs and experiences differ. We are more than happy to provide one-on-one assistance with this highly personal essay to ensure that your efforts over the past year are presented in the best light possible.
Additional Information: We know that life is full of extenuating circumstances. Whether you want to explain gaps in work experience, your choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance or something else, you can use this section to briefly tell us anything we need to know about your application. (280 words)
However tempted you might be, this is not the place to paste in a strong essay you wrote for another school or to offer a few anecdotes that you were unable to incorporate into any of your other essays. Instead, this is your opportunity, if needed, to address any questions an admissions officer might have about your candidacy. We encourage you to download our free mbaMission Optional Essays Guide , in which we offer detailed advice on when and how to take advantage of the optional essay, along with multiple sample essays, to help you mitigate any problem areas in your profile.
Video Essays: We’ve read your essays, we’ve read your resume — now we want you to bring all that to life in a video. Show us the person behind all those carefully crafted words. The video will be comprised of three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you here today.
We find these videos to be a great opportunity for you to tell us more about your story, experiences and why kellogg is the right place for you., here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to complete this section:, video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline., a video essay link will appear on your application status page after you submit your application and payment., you will need an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone, the video should take about 20-25 minutes to complete, which includes time for setup., after submitting your application and payment, you will be able to access the video essay through your application status page., here are some additional tips:, there are practice questions that you may complete as many times as you like to get comfortable with the format and technology. the practice questions and experience will simulate the actual video essay experience, so this is meant to be a useful tool to help you feel prepared., we encourage you to practice so you are comfortable with the format once it is time to complete the official questions. you will not have an opportunity to re-do the answer to the official video essay questions., you will have 20 seconds to think about the question and up to one minute to give your response..
During a Q&A session at a past mbaMission annual conference, a Kellogg admissions representative explained that the school’s video component sprang from the admissions committee’s desire to actually see and hear the applicants they were evaluating. Given that Kellogg’s interviews are conducted by alumni, the video is the committee’s only “live” interaction with candidates. Keep this in mind as you tackle this segment of the application, and make being authentic and natural your primary goal. Kellogg is not looking for the next viral TED Talk presenter or late-night TV host. They just want to get to know you as a unique individual who may one day join its community.
So, start by taking a deep breath. We understand that these video essays can make you feel like you are being put on the spot, but Kellogg is really not trying to scare you. The admissions committee simply wants a more dynamic representation of your personality than a written essay can provide. You cannot answer any of the school’s video questions incorrectly, so do not concern yourself with trying to give the “right” answer. Just respond to each query honestly, as smoothly as you can (despite any nervousness you may be feeling), and be yourself.
In the past, Kellogg has provided the questions applicants would encounter in the application’s video segment, but this year (at least at the time this post was written), the specific questions posed are unknown. Do not let this panic you. The core reason for this component is still to put a face to a name for the admissions committee and to see how you communicate and conduct yourself when questioned in this way (very similar to how you will eventually be interviewed by recruiters as a Kellogg student). Not knowing the questions beforehand just ensures a higher level of spontaneity and therefore authenticity. We would not be surprised to learn later that candidates were asked similar questions to those posed in the past, which focused on introducing oneself, one’s career goals, one’s interest in the Kellogg MBA program, and a challenge one has faced—pretty basic stuff for an MBA admissions interview, really.
Remember to speak with energy and enthusiasm. You are trying to connect with others, so charisma is welcome, and a little less rigid and traditionally “professional” demeanor is okay. Forego any fancy or dramatic tactics, and just be as natural and authentic as possible. As they say, you only have one chance to make a first impression, so dedicate some time to prepping (just in case) to ensure that your introduction is engaging, substantive, and true to who you are.
Even though you do not know exactly what you will be asked, you can still practice and prepare to some extent. We encourage you to download a free copy of the mbaMission Interview Guide , which includes a list of 100 common MBA interview questions that you can use in getting comfortable with responding to the types of queries you will likely encounter for these videos. And even though this is not an official Kellogg interview, our school-specific Northwestern Kellogg Interview Guide could still be a helpful resource. One minute is not very long, so run through several practice sessions—perhaps in front of a mirror—to get a sense of how quickly those 60 seconds will pass when you are in front of the camera. Although you can prepare as much as you want, you get only one chance at the recording. If you stumble while answering or ultimately are unhappy with your answer, unfortunately, you cannot do anything about it. You will not be able to rerecord your responses or try again another time. This might make you nervous, but we encourage you to view the situation a little differently. Kellogg wants to get to know the authentic you through these video essays. If you fumble for words or lose your train of thought, just laugh or shrug and continue with your response. Accepting a mistake with a sense of humor and grace will give the admissions committee a more positive and natural impression of your personality than rigid scripting and overpreparation ever could.
The Next Step: Mastering Your Kellogg Interview
Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. And to help you develop this high level of preparation, we offer our free Interview Guides ! Download your free copy of the Northwestern Kellogg Interview Guide t oday.
To learn more about the essays for other top business schools, visit our MBA Essay Tips and Examples Resources Page .
2023-2024 Business School Essays MBA Essay Tips Northwestern University (Kellogg)
Tags: business school essay free guides Insider's Guides MBA application essays Northwestern Kellogg optional essay reapplicants video essay
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand MBA application experience that delivers a personalized curriculum for you and leverages interactive tools to guide you through the entire MBA application process.
Get Started!
Upcoming Events
- Apr 25, 2024 Assessing Your MBA Profile (Online)
- May 19, 2024 Admissions Q&A with Booth, Fuqua, Sloan, Tuck & Yale (Online)
Upcoming Deadlines
- Apr 12, 2024 UCLA Anderson (Round 3)
- Apr 15, 2024 USC Marshall (Round 3)
- Apr 29, 2024 Toronto Rotman (Round 4)
- Apr 29, 2024 UNC Kenan-Flagler (Round 4)
- Apr 30, 2024 Georgetown McDonough (Round 4)
Click here to see the complete deadlines
2023–2024 MBA Essay Tips
- Berkeley Haas School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- BU Questrom School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Cambridge Judge Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Chicago Booth School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Columbia Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management Essay and Examples
- Dartmouth Tuck School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Duke Fuqua School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Emory Goizueta Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- Esade Essay Tips and Examples
- Georgetown McDonough School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Harvard Business School 2+2 Deferred MBA Program Essay Analysis 2024
- Harvard Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- HEC Paris Essay Tips and Examples
- HKUST Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- IE Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- IESE Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- INSEAD Essay Tips and Examples
- International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Essay Tips and Examples
- Ivey Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- London Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- Michigan Ross School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- MIT Sloan School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
- Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- NYU Stern School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Ohio Fisher College of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Oxford Saïd Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- SMU Cox School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Stanford Graduate School of Business Application Essay Tips and Examples
- Texas McCombs School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Essay Tips and Examples
- The Wharton School Essay Tips and Examples
- Toronto Rotman School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
- UCLA Anderson School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
- UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Essay Tips and Examples
- USC Marshall School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- UVA Darden School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- UW Foster School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management Essay Analysis, 2023–2024
- Villanova School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
- Yale School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
Click here for the 2022–2023 MBA Essay Tips
MBA Program Updates
- Berkeley-Haas
- Boston University (Questrom)
- Cambridge Judge Business School
- Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)
- Columbia University (Columbia Business School)
- Consortium for Graduate Study in Management
- Cornell University (Johnson)
- Dartmouth College (Tuck)
- Duke University (Fuqua)
- Emory University (Goizueta)
- George Washington University (GWSB)
- Georgetown University (McDonough)
- Harvard University (Harvard Business School)
- IE Business School
- IESE Business School
- Indian School of Business
- Indiana University (Kelley)
- Ivey Business School
- London Business School
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
- New York University (Stern)
- Northwestern University (Kellogg)
- Notre Dame (Mendoza)
- Ohio State University (Fisher College)
- Oxford University (Saïd Business School)
- Penn State Smeal College of Business
- Rotman School of Management
- Saïd Business School
- Southern Methodist University (Cox School of Business)
- Stanford University (Stanford Graduate School of Business)
- University of California Los Angeles (Anderson)
- University of Cambridge (Judge)
- University of Chicago (Booth)
- University of London (London Business School)
- University of Michigan (Ross)
- University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)
- University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
- University of Southern California (Marshall)
- University of Texas at Austin (McCombs)
- University of Virginia (Darden)
- Vanderbilt University (Owen)
- Villanova School of Business
- Yale University (School of Management)
Tips for Your Northwestern Kellogg Application Essays
July 17, 2023
Donna Bauman
Northwestern Kellogg Application Essay Tips, 2023-2024
- R1 Deadline: September 13, 2023
- R2 Deadline: January 10, 2024
- R3 Deadline: April 3, 2024
Kellogg’s essays for the upcoming admissions season represent a fresh update and yet remain consistent with the school’s philosophy of valuing collaborative leadership. These questions will challenge applicants to think one level deeper about the different layers related to leadership and creating impact. Rest assured, however, that Kellogg is still looking for high-impact, low-ego leaders—“the kind of people who elevate the level of everyone in the room without making it all about them”—to loosely quote a former Kellogg admissions staffer when describing how they think about the program’s ideal applicants.
Consistent with Kellogg’s tradition to holistically review all applicants, the admissions committee has both written essay questions and video response essays to gain as complete a picture of an applicant as possible. Kellogg is also continuing its intention to make the application process less stressful for applicants by allowing people to express interest in multiple MBA program options through the same application.
Question 1 (450 words)
Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. which skills did you use what did you accomplish.
This question still speaks to Kellogg’s purpose: To educate, equip and inspire leaders who build strong organizations and wisely leverage the power of markets to create lasting value . In answering this question, applicants can draw from different aspects of their life—both professional and personal—to identify the best example of where they have achieved impact in solving a problem. Candidates have the opportunity to be more granular in thinking about the different tools in their skill set to approach solving a problem. Big challenges are not solved by one person, so applicants should think about how they have motivated teams, brought varied perspectives into the decision-making process, and inspired others to achieve meaningful results.
Applicants can think about breaking this question into a CAR (Challenge/Action/Result) model, wherein the problem is presented along with the specific actions that were taken and the skills used to achieve results. This question also presents applicants with the opportunity to reflect upon their own leadership journey, utilizing self-awareness to recognize and describe how they have made valuable contributions in their professional or extracurricular activities.
Question 2 (450 words)
At kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. how do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the kellogg community .
In approaching this question, it can be helpful to review the qualities that Kellogg shares on its website regarding its ideal applicants:
WE VALUE INDIVIDUALS WHO:
- Approach business problems with a mix of hard and soft skills.
- Seek to adapt to the evolving business world with open curiosity and innovation.
- Believe in strong, empathetic collaboration as a way to strengthen work, perspectives and outcomes.
- Embrace the power of diversity in your teams and networks.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR:
- Academic readiness
- Work experience
- Professional goals
- Interpersonal skills”
Kellogg gives applicants the opportunity to reflect further on their personal leadership journey by thinking about how they have problem-solved utilizing the talents of different groups of people. The admissions committee wants applicants to first share an experience when they have embraced diversity—thinking about any of its components: functional, cultural, socioeconomic and even age—and then provide a sense of how applicants can bring those talents to the Kellogg community. In the previous iterations of the Kellogg application, the video essay was the only opportunity candidates had to share how they could contribute to the Kellogg community. In this version, applicants can be specific about naming particular clubs and resources where they can add value. Reach out to students to learn more about the specifics of Kellogg’s offerings, and spend some time thinking about how you can enhance the community.
If your example in Essay 1 drew on your professional experience, consider how some of your extracurricular experiences can inform your answer to Essay 2—or vice versa—to give Kellogg the fullest version of who you are and what drives your interests.
Certain applicants will respond to an additional question about their interest in our specialty programs. Reapplicants will receive a prompt about their growth since their last application: How have you grown or changed personally and professionally since you previously applied and what steps have you taken to become the strongest candidate you can be? (250 words)
How are you a stronger applicant than when you last applied? Have you retaken the GMAT or GRE? Completed new courses? Been promoted or faced with new challenges at work? Use these 250 words to show growth, change, improvement, and excellence.
In Stratus Admissions’ Guide to Getting into Kellogg School of Management you will find information on a variety of the MBA program’s offerings, such as the Global Hub building, Complete Immersion in Management, the Kellogg Ski Trip, and the Kellogg Tech Conference. This free guide also includes class profile statistics. Download our guide to learn more about Kellogg!
MBA School Specific
2023-2024 essay JD/MBA Kellogg School of Management MBA Application Essays MBAi MMM One-Year MBA Optional Essay Reapplicant video statement
Start Today with a FREE Consultation
Learn how Stratus’ team approach gets you into one of your top choice schools. Start with a FREE consultation with an Admissions Specialist.
Free Consultation
Previous Entry Tips for Your MIT Sloan Application Essays
Next Entry Tips for Your UVA Darden Application Essay
Search Our Blog Articles
- Menlo Coaching
- Top MBA Programs
- Northwestern Kellogg
Kellogg Admissions Basics: Video Essays & Demonstrating Fit
During an interview with Menlo Coaching’s Founding Partner David White, Kate Smith, the Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Northwestern Kellogg, was kind enough to share her insider’s perspective on the Kellogg MBA admissions process, covering the program’s use of video essays and the importance of demonstrating a personality fit in the application.
It is worth mentioning that at the time of the interview, MBA admissions was largely business as usual, especially compared to the 2020-2021 app cycle, which was widely disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. And in light of the current situation, Kellogg’s approach to video essays has proven to be both innovative and prescient; now more than ever before, the global business community has embraced video communication.
Kellogg MBA Admissions Insight
Note: Video interview with Kate Smith recorded in 2019.
Read on to learn more about Kellogg’s MBA application and video essay requirement, along with other important factors at play for students who wish to take part in the prestigious and competitive Kellogg MBA admissions process.
Kellogg’s Video Essays
For several years, the Kellogg School of Management has asked applicants to answer interview questions on-camera. Responses are recorded and reviewed by the admissions committee, much to the consternation of some Menlo Coaching clients!
Despite the anxiety some applicants may feel, however, the video essay has become a crucial—and unavoidable—part of the Kellogg MBA application.
As explained by Assistant Dean Kate Smith, the video essay fills in a certain “gap” in the admissions process; that is, when an applicant interviews with just one Kellogg alumni or admissions officer, there is no opportunity for the entire team to see the applicant in a “candid manner.”
Further, the admissions department at Kellogg believes that the recorded responses prepare applicants for a practice that is becoming increasingly common in the business community: video communication. Indeed, in discussing the practice with Kellogg students, Ms. Smith noted that recorded video essays are becoming standard practice in regular hiring procedures with organizations like Goldman Sachs, Uber, Nike, Apple, and Google (to name a few).
Beyond the hiring process, many readers may also be aware of the importance of video communication in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In a world of social distancing and remote work, communicating well via video has become a fundamental component of professional life.
For especially camera-shy applicants, two pieces of information regarding Kellogg’s video interviews may be of some comfort. The first is that the Kellogg admissions team does not expect applicants to be comfortable on video, especially in this high-stakes and unnerving context. Kellogg knows that its applicants are not movie stars, and you shouldn’t try to be!
The second fact to keep in mind is that the video essay is the last part of the application to be reviewed. Before the team sees a pre-recorded interview response, then, they will have read all the materials that were closely edited and prepared first.
The Ultimate MBA Admissions Checklist
Our free, comprehensive checklist covers everything you need to shop for an MBA admissions consultant.
✓ Compare pricing across 35+ MBA admissions consulting firms
✓ Learn why “success rates” are not to be trusted
✓ Find the right service model for your needs
✓ Prep for your consultation calls
What Else Is Kellogg Looking For?
With an acceptance rate hovering in the mid- to low-twenty percent (26% in 2019; and 20% in 2020), the Kellogg School of Management is not as competitive as some other top business schools like Stanford GSB or MIT Sloan. And yet Kellogg’s admissions committee is careful in their selection of that near quarter of its applicants which makes up their incoming classes. Of course, they keep in mind a few key factors that help to create a balanced and dynamic MBA cohort. So what exactly is Kellogg looking for?
The foundational elements that Kellogg looks for in all its MBA applicants include:
- Academic Rigor . Being able to thrive in a classroom environment is essential to the Kellogg experience. For the incoming class of 2021, Kellogg’s average GPA was 3.7 and their average GMAT was 727. These are among the highest in top programs. Hence, your application ought to reflect on whether you can be a strong student and handle the academic aspects of the MBA.
- Commitment to Diversity . Northwestern Kellogg wants to recruit a diverse student body to maintain a team-oriented culture. Corollary to this, applicants should show how they themselves are ready to be personally challenged by diversity and eager to seek out a diversity of input in the classroom. During the admissions process, don’t shy away from sharing your diversity-related experiences.
- High Engagement . Students at Kellogg are expected to be committed to making an impact in their field. The exact shape of this impact may vary, but it is important that they are committed to full immersion in their area and seeking to create real, dynamic change. This is of particular importance to Kellogg, and applicants should ensure that their application reflects a high level of engagement.
How to Demonstrate Engagement
In order to communicate high engagement in an application, it is important that applicants take the time to network with Kellogg students, faculty, and alumni. Campus visits are an excellent way to target the first two groups, as is LinkedIn.
Alumni can also be targeted via LinkedIn or through campus events, but there is also an extensive network of Kellogg alumni groups in most major cities. It is recommended that applicants reach out to alumni, who are known for being responsive and enthusiastic about the program.
As applicants speak with alumni, they often experience first-hand the kind of passion that Kellogg graduates are famous for, and if nothing else, applicants will at least have the opportunity to learn more about the Kellogg program.
No Secret Formula
In summary, the underlying goal of Kellogg admissions officers as they review video essays and other application materials is to discover whether there is a strong fit between the Kellogg program and the applicant. If an applicant does their due diligence, thinks carefully about their career goals, and explains clearly why they would benefit from (and how they would contribute to) a Kellogg MBA, they will have checked all the right boxes.
In this way, the application process at Kellogg, as at other top MBA programs, does not rely on a secret formula or magic voodoo. Hard, honest work will result in an application that best communicates the personality of an applicant—and if the fit is right, it’s right!
Related Articles
- Kellogg MBA Program Overview
- Kellogg’s Global Hub and International Study Programs
- Women in Business at Kellogg
- Your Chances at Kellogg
The Experience
- Career Impact
- Inclusion and Belonging
- Global Opportunities
More about Kellogg
- History & Legacy
- Convocation Ceremony
Degree Programs
- Full-Time MBA
- Executive MBA
- Master in Management
- Evening & Weekend MBA
- Certificate Program for Undergraduates
- Which Program is Right for Me?
- Academic Calendars
Executive Education
- Online Programs
- Programs for Individuals
- Nonprofit Programs
- Programs for Groups
- The Kellogg Advantage
- Contact Executive Education
- Request a Brochure
- Find a Program
- Alumni Network
- Career Journeys
- Global Impact
- Student Stories
- Applying to Kellogg
Publications and blogs
- Kellogg Magazine
- Kellogg Insight
- See All News + Stories
Academics + Research
- Faculty Directory
- Research Centers
- Case Studies
- Faculty Teaching Awards
- Academic Departments
- Research + Books
- Faculty Recruiting
Academic expertise
- Data Analytics
- Family Business
- Leadership & Organizations
- Social Impact
- Entrepreneurship
- Full-Time MBA Admissions
- Evening & Weekend MBA Admissions
- Executive MBA Admissions
Additional resources
- Master in Management Admissions
- PhD / Doctoral Admissions
- Undergraduate Certificate Admissions
- Admissions Events
- Financial Aid Office
- Log into my account portal
- Companies + Recruiters
Kellogg application tips: Written and video essays
By: the Kellogg admissions team , Full-Time MBA Program
As you move through the MBA application process , one of the most important aspects is telling your personal and professional story as fully and authentically as possible. Each part of the application provides an opportunity for you to share what makes you unique. When you are submitting your written and video essays, consider examples that demonstrate who you are, what drives you and what you plan to achieve as a future Kellogg Leader. Written essays The application will give you two short essay prompts:
- Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish?
- At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community?
Candidates for the MMM, MBAi, JD-MBA and One-Year MBA programs will answer an additional question to let us know how their program of choice will help them reach their post-MBA goals.
Those who have applied before will also have the opportunity to discuss what steps they’ve taken since their last application to become a stronger candidate.
Video essays
You’ll complete video essays after you submit your application and payment. This is a great opportunity to tell us more about you and explain why Kellogg is the right place for you.
The video portion of the applications will include three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you to where you are today.
Please note, video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline. Learn more
Today’s changing business landscape demands leaders who possess a blend of analytical, creative and social intelligence and who can uplift teams to their full potential — those are the candidates we at Kellogg are looking for. Know that there are no perfect answers to our essay questions. Instead, when you are writing your essays, think about how you can leave your mark on Kellogg and the world.
We also believe in a holistic approach to the application process. We look at all areas of a candidate’s application. For us, this is much more than a test score, essay or job title. All applicants have unique strengths and attributes. Please make sure we see and hear everything that makes you special.
If you are ready to become a Kellogg Leader, complete your application today.
To explore more application tips or learn more about Kellogg, visit our admissions site or sign up for an event to speak to an admissions officer.
Good luck, and we look forward to reading your application soon! Read next: Kellogg expands management education options for early-career professionals
Is Northwestern Kellogg on your target list of business schools? Then you are in luck! Kellogg’s updated essays and application deadlines for the 2023-2024 admissions season have just been released. Time to start working on those essays (scroll down to see the questions)! 🙂
NORTHWESTERN KELLOGG MBA DEADLINES – Full-Time MBA
Application due: September 13, 2023* Decision released: December 13, 2023
Application due: January 10, 2024* Decision released: March 27, 2024
Application due: April 3, 2024* Decision released: May 8, 2024
Applications are due at 5 pm CT.
For more information on application requirements, check out the Kellogg admissions site .
If you are looking for advice on your Northwestern Kellogg application, make sure you sign up for ApplicantLab! We provide step-by-step guidance on every aspect of your MBA application, including updated advice (as of July 13th, I am in the process of updating this advice over the next few business days!), dissecting this year’s Kellogg essays questions, providing non-obvious “do’s” and “don’ts”, and explaining the Kellogg “DNA” so that you can tailor your application materials to show that you’re the sort of person they’re looking for! Sign up for a free trial.
For the 2023 – 2024 admissions season, Northwestern Kellogg has changed its written essay questions for the first time in several years! While I do like their new essay #1 more than the earlier version, the change to essay #2 is a shame, since it was one of my favorite essays from the top schools, but of course that doesn’t actually matter , ha ha!
Question 1 (450 words)
Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish ?
For years, Kellogg asked a question about a time you created “lasting value” — they’ve changed that this year to focus more on describing which “combination of skills” you used. In other words, the PROCESS you went through to solve a problem now matters more than WHAT the problem was, or WHAT the IMPACT was.
If you read Kellogg’s own blog post / website accompanying this new question (something you won’t really have to do if you sign up for ApplicantLab since I do it for you!) — you might get a sense of the SORTS of skills they’re looking for you to have demonstrated… but achtung ! I think some of the skills mentioned on the website are a bit of a trap! (I do NOT think that this is a trap that has been INTENTIONALLY SET, but it’s one I think applicants should be aware of all the same!).
Another trap I think applicants might fall in to here is choosing the wrong sort of “problem / challenge” to talk about. I realize that it’s business school and so you (understandably!) might initially want to write about your greatest work accomplishment here… (especially if you got an early start on the Kellogg essays and already drafted an answer to the previous essay 1, ha ha)… but resist that temptation. Some types of “problems / challenges” here will make for better fodder than others, and it might not necessarily be your Most Impressive Work Story!
In ApplicantLab, I,m not only creating advice for how to tackle this essay, along with the Dos and Don’ts, but I also synthesize what we can glean from changes over time to the Kellogg leadership essay. What does the new wording mean? Does it mean that Kellogg is CHANGING what it looks for in applicants (I don’t necessarily think so!) — what I think it means is that the answers they were getting to the previous “lasting value” essay prompt were disappointing on some level. If we can try to analyze what might have been wrong (or, well, sub-optimal ) about the previous answers they were getting, then we can be sure to try to avoid doing those things for this new question!
Question 2 (450 words)
At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community?
Ok ok so first of all, I know I was being a little grumpy above re: this new question #2, BUT I would like to first THANK Kellogg for pointing out right up front that there is actual, real research showing the value of diversity in organizations. With “diversity” and / or “inclusion” essays being the Hot Trendy Essay Topic these days, I think it can be tempting for the more cynical folks out there to think that this focus is just a bunch of politcally-correct, “woke”, b.s. … but hey there, it actually isn’t … since study after study PROVES that groups that have team-mates with diverse points of view statistically tend to out-perform teams where everyone thinks in similar ways.
Anyway, the part of this new essay question that DOES make me a little grumpy is that the question used to ask for a more general discussion about ” What values are important to you, and how have they influenced you?”, which to ME led to really interesting insights from candidates about a wide variety of lived experiences they’ve had.
This newer version of the question is… fine. But it’s basically a standard “contribution to our campus” essay (with a wink to “Hey, ideally you’ll tell us stuff about you that is a bit more unique, so that we don’t die of boredom reading these”) …but it’s still a “contribution to campus” essay all the same.
Basically, if you’ve already started working on your Wharton essay #2 (“…how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to [our] community”), then you can simply swap out the names of the Wharton-specific clubs, organizations, etc. and replace them with the Kellogg version. I mean, the word-counts are essentially the same (400 for Wharton; 450 for Kellogg) so you don’t even need to do significantly different amounts of editing / word-smithing between them.
* Note! Since Wharton’s deadlines are roughly 1 week before Kellogg’s, work on THAT application FIRST, if you’re in a hurry!
Maybe, to the extent that the new essay 1 requires a bit more thought / nuance than it has in the past, maybe the thinking here was to make up for MORE heavy-lifting needed in essay 1, by making essay 2 a lot easier? Meh. I mean — I get it, but still. RIP, previous essay #2 🙁
3 Video Essays
Once again, Kellogg is asking for 3 video essays (you get 20 seconds to think, and up to 60 seconds to respond).
In previous years, they’ve told us in advance what the questions are, which to ME goes a long way towards defeating the purpose of these questions — after all, if it’s super-important to know what my personality, poise, like-ability, etc. are as part of the application process… isn’t a SPONTANEOUS question that I CAN NOT prepare for going to yield a much more authentic response?
Anyway, I’m going to reach out to them to get confirmation if once again this year they are going with 3 pre-determined questions, or if they’re going to mix it up and make them more like “randomly picking from a bucket of questions — e.g. a teamwork / leadership bucket; a ‘why Kellogg / why MBA’ bucket; an extra-curricular / something fun about you bucket)… “
… but either way, in ApplicantLab I have advice on how to prepare for / do [and look!] your best in these video essays, regardless of what the topic is. Of course, one of my strongest pieces of advice for how to prepare is to NOT PREPARE TOO MUCH, because not only do you then risk sounding like a robot (yikes!), but if the actual question asked turns out to be a minor variation of a question you’ve overly-prepared a rehearsed answer for… welp, then you risk reciting an answer that on its face might seem OK, but in fact answers a question that wasn’t actually asked (DOUBLE YIKES).
I know that these video essays can be really stressful, but IMHO any school that offers them is doing you, the applicant, a HUGE FAVOR by giving you this chance.
- I know it might be tempting to view AdComs’ claims of a “holistic” process with skepticism / cynicism, but these video interviews level the playing field for everyone who applies (you KNOW that you’re at least getting A SHOT for them to hear from you directly!)
- Other MBA programs’ interviews!
- Future MBA employer job interviews!
- … and this is valuable early feedback that — if you DO get invited to OTHER schools’ interviews later on — it might be a super-useful wake-up cal l to get more help (say, from the InterviewLab , which is ApplicantLab’s interview prep module) while there’s still time!
Anyway, this post will be evolving as:
- I complete / finish updating the essay advice for Kellogg in ApplicantLab
- I get more clarification on the 3 video essay topics — ie, if this year there is a plan to make them random!
- "Non Traditional" Background
- Already Hired Consultant
- Deferred Applicant
- International Applicant
- No "Blue Chip" College or Employer
- No Community Service
- No Formal Work "Leadership"
- No International Experience
- Over Represented Group: Banker
- Over Represented Group: Consultant
- Over Represented Group: Engineer
- Re-Applicant
- Can we share your story on ApplicantLab.com?
Privacy Overview
- E-mail & Password
- Notification Settings
- Global Settings
- Applicant profile
- Update status
- My GMAT info
- --> My Education -->